The guide First steps to BIM competence: a guide for specialist contractors has been developed jointly by the Specialist Engineering Contractors鈥� (SEC) Group and the National Specialist Contractors鈥� Council (NSCC), in collaboration with the University of Northumbria鈥檚 BIM Academy.
鈥淲e have reached the stage in the adoption of BIM where the specialist contracting sector has a key role to play in system design and integration,鈥� said David Frise, chairman of the SEC Group/NSCC BIM Working Group and head of sustainability at the Building & Engineering Services Association. 鈥淏oth public sector procurers and private sector clients are increasingly demanding that BIM be used on their construction projects, in order to achieve efficiency savings through the elimination of waste.鈥�
But he went on to warn that 鈥淏IM is simply a tool 鈥� and would become 鈥渁 somewhat blunted tool鈥� unless other issues were addressed.
鈥淭he tangible benefits associated with BIM 鈥� especially those that reduce design risk and facilitate faster delivery 鈥� can only be fully realised when procurement and contractual mindsets change and the construction supply chain learns to work collaboratively, with all members of the design team ensuring the integrity and reliability of the BIM models from the outset,鈥� he said.
And he added that, in addition to its application to specific construction projects, the use of BIM by contractors could also lead to increased efficiency 鈥� and therefore savings 鈥� within their own firms.
In a foreword to the guide, David Philp, head of implementation at the Cabinet Office, acknowledged that BIM is 鈥渟ignificantly altering the way in which the construction industry creates and cares for or its assets鈥�. Constructing buildings 鈥渧irtually鈥� allows organisations to identify and resolve problems before they occur, said Philp, adding that the benefits of BIM are not 鈥渁nchored to a particular project size鈥�, and that small and medium-sized firms are 鈥渨ell placed to implement BIM鈥�.
Meanwhile, BSI has published a standard 鈥� PAS 1192-2 鈥� which is designed to eliminate the problems caused by firms using different BIM systems and software. Compliance with the new standard will be mandatory on all public sector projects with effect from 2016.
Electronic copies of the guide are available from the NSCC website at and the SEC Group website at .
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